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Cold storage of Pacific oysters out of water: biometry, intervalval water and sensory assessment
Author(s) -
Buzin Florence,
Baudon Violaine,
Cardinal Mireille,
Barillé Laurent,
Haure Joël
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
international journal of food science and technology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.831
H-Index - 96
eISSN - 1365-2621
pISSN - 0950-5423
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2621.2011.02686.x
Subject(s) - flesh , oyster , fishery , crassostrea , pacific oyster , biology , cold storage , zoology , relative humidity , shellfish , environmental science , fish <actinopterygii> , horticulture , aquatic animal , geography , meteorology
Summary Due to the important economic activity of oyster production in France, microalgal toxic events represent a significant constraint for shellfish farmers who face closures of bivalve production‐sites. The frequency of closures of 3 weeks or less represents half of the total closures along the French coasts. Cold storage could be a simple and affordable solution for temporary and short‐term storage before commercialisation. A stock of marketable Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas was therefore stored during 22 days in non‐immersed conditions at 3 °C with 100% humidity. At the end of the experiment, the oyster mortality rate remained at a low level of less than 3.5%. The sensory attributes, odour, appearance, texture and flavour, did not show significant variations. However, the oyster total weight and fresh flesh weight exhibited losses of 10.5% and a 16.6% after 15 days of storage. At the same time, intervalval water showed a decrease in quality with 20% of the samples characterized by an absence of intervalval water with a flesh more or less moist. These results suggested that the cold storage represents a partial solution to sustain the commercialisation of bivalves during closures of 15 days.